“Easy,Nathair Bheag.So jumpy.” His broad hands gently gripped my arms, steadying me, and I shook with adrenaline or fear, I couldn’t tell which. Out of habit, I dropped my eyes to them and…wouldn’t you know it? A chess piece tattooed between his thumb and pointer. A knight. I shrugged him off.
“Don’t touch me. Where’s your boss? I’m supposed to be here to clean.” I didn’t have to look at him to see a smile. I could hear it when he spoke.
“Out. Just us tonight.”
I crossed my arms and tried not to look so pathetic. “He said this was urgent, and I haven’t had any sleep. Where’s the body?”
“Itisurgent. And it’s right behind you.”
This asshole.
My face shot up before I could think about it. “That’s not a body. That’s a living, breathing person. This isn’t what I do. Tell him thanks, but no fucking thanks. If he’s wired anything to that account for tonight, then he can have it back. Along with the rest of what he paid me yesterday, if you want the truth. I don’t want any part of…whateverthis is.” I waved my hand between us and he juststared. Amused. Entertained. It pissed me off.
“So, lemme get this straight. You clean up gory murders for bad people, but this is too much for you? And to be fair…he might be livin’…for now. But I wouldn’t say he’s breathin’ much.” I kept my face impassive and bored, even though it was an effort. He smiled then, a dimple that could wet any woman’s knickers popping up in one cheek. “Relax, sweetheart. I was the one that hired you tonight.”
Fuck. This.
“Even better. I’m out.” I shoved past him, and he turned to face me with every stomp I took back towards the short hallway to my freedom.
“Oh, I don’t think so. See…I want you to think of this as more of an uh…invitation.” I stopped and stared ahead at the cut of light across the wall that was as good as Heaven’s gates at this point. I could feel his eyes on every inch of my back.
“I’m sorry?”
“This is your party, darlin’. I did this foryou.”
WHAT?! IS HE WHACKED?
My God, I haven’t had enough coffee for this shit. I jerked myself around and he stood there with his hands in his pockets like a smug psychopath. “Excuse me?!”
“Allow me to explain.” He nonchalantly turned and stepped over to the chair, starting to circle it while he looked over all his handywork. It’s one thing to see something heinous done to a person who’s already been through the ringer. It’s another altogether to watch the person doing the heinous shit, or admiring something that would make most people pass out in their own vomit. “Conor here used to be in leagues with a group that we um…we don’t really get along with. Last night, we had a meetin’ with some from that group and…well…you saw how that went.”
“He didn’t seem too much to me like he had anything to be worried about. I don’t see what any of this has to do with me.”
“He sure didn't, did he?” He grinned, clicking his tongue and starting a new circle around poor Mr. Nightshade. “The thing about makin’ peace sometimes, love…is that sometimes the price for it is a little bloody. A little violent. It gets a bit more violent when lines are crossed and people take it upon themselves to try to lay claim to somethin’ that don’t belong to them.”
“Like the finger you’re pissed at me about? Is that what this is?” My heart thrashed and he paused, glancing up at me. The Devil must be a handsome fucker, ‘cause I swear I’m staring him in the face.
“Ah, see…but I didn’t take that finger, love.”
“Are you onglue?I watched you pull the shit out of your pocket.”
He chuckled and it sent a chill down my spine. “That you did. But it was Conor that plucked that finger off. Not me. He gave it to me as a gift, and I made the mistake of thinking it was mine to take. See how that works?”
“Sure,” I shrugged. “But I still don’t see why it’s my problem.”
Malek leaned down and picked one of Conor’s fingers up off his lap, turning and flicking it and honestly…gross, dude. Like, why? “That finger belonged to somebody that took somethin’ that wasn’t his. Somethin’ I’ll never get back. He disrespected me. Worse, though…he disrespected her. And Conor…well, he disrespectedyou. And as a man that don’t play nice when it comes to this kind of thing…”
“Lemme guess, you took that as disrespect?”
He beamed at me from across the room, flashing that dimple and my insides fluttered. “Precisely.”
“Well. Good luck with your war on that,Dexter. Disrespect is something I’m used to. Whatever it is you think he did, you wasted your time and his life. I could care less what anybody thinks of me. I dunno why it bothersyou.”
“Because you’re mine,Nathair Bheag.And nobody gets away with that.”
Run, Seven…he’s insane. This is bad.
“Clearly there was a misunderstanding. I’m outta here.” I turned to leave again…and again…he stopped me in my tracks.
